Talk:Factions
Factions covered: *Oghuz Turks *Hungary *Spain *Wales *France *Empire of China *Wessex *Alba *Denmark *Byzantine Empire *Kingdom of Germany *Duchy of Novgorod *Abbasid Caliphate Aghlabid Emirate A small Muslim nation on the edge of the Christian Mediterranean, the Aghlabids have ruled the island of Sicily for almost two centuries since the Umayyads marched across the desert sands of Africa. Located south of Italy and near the strategic regions of Malta and Tunisia, this volcanic island, once the greatest of all Greek polities, may yet rise again as a major power in the Mediterranean, but its location and recent events in the Muslim world will ensure that this would never be a process without violent struggle. There is no risk without reward, however, and with proper care and skillfulness, Sicily's overlords may transform their newly acquired stronghold into a major trading power, perhaps strong enough to challenge even Byzantium and Baghdad. As a major melting pot of Latin, Greek and Arab cultures, Sicily too enjoys an aeclectic military culture - perhaps one that can be used to its advantage, particularly if it ever crosses the Tyrrhenian sea or the Straits of Messina. Oghuz Turks Born of the same stock as the Magyars and the Mongols, the Turks are a fierce nomadic people recently subjugated and assimilated into Islam, but have prospered by a single stroke of luck: the fraticidal struggles of their Arab masters. The Caliph, fearful of betrayal, has placed a single family of Oghuz as "Ghilman" or "slaves" as Muslim viceroys in Persia, and has also installed warriors or Mamluks of Turkic ancestry as his own personal troops. Despite all this prestige, being a lapdog to a richer or weaker man is no life for a red-blooded Turk, and the Turks would suffer nothing save having one of their own for Caliph, regardless of the cost. As a people born and bred for war on the steppes, it is no surprise that the Turks are masters of nomadic warfare. They do not rely on agriculture, preferring instead to hunt, fish, trade or to raid. Yet, despite this seeming barbaric lifestyle, Turks are proficient warriors and will not forsake change - so long as change brings victory. Magyar confederacy A nomadic people recently settled in the southern Danube basin by the great chief Arpad, the Magyar are a proud people of horse, lance and bow, terrorising the populace of Europe just as how their Hunnic predecessors once did five centuries ago, and have raided all the way into France, Germany and Lombardy. Yet, despite these successes, the Magyar are now heathens encircled by different factions in a sea of Christians: the Holy Roman Empire and its stooges to the northwest, and the Byzantines to the south. Worse, there are other forces further east in Asia, waiting to strike. With so many enemies on so many fronts, one thing is clear: the Magyar will have to come to terms with their enemies if they are to survive, or face complete annihilation at the spearpoints of their former victims. Asturias The Visigothic kingdom of Asturias has held out in Iberia's green and wooded north despite almost having been hounded out of Spain by Muslims, thanks to the mountains and the fraticidal struggles currently tearing the Islamic world apart. However, even though the Asturianos and the Muslims have been rivals for a hundred years or so, the greatest threats to Asturias' survival may not come from the south, but rather from their Christian counterparts west and east. Gwynedd The Welsh are the descendents of the last few native Britons in the south, forced into the hilly woodlands of the southern British mainland and now divided by petty rivalries, even as they continue being hounded by the Norse and the Saxons who settled in the east. Although Cymru is a rich land to her sons, and a harsh world dotted with the graves of invaders, the Welsh cannot rely on geography alone to resist their enemies. Unity must be established among the princes of Cymru if the freedom of the Welsh is to be preserved Kingdom of Germany Despite its impressive-sounding name, the nature of the Holy Roman Empire is neither Roman nor an empire in nature, but is in fact a uneasy confederation of peoples - some willing, others unwilling, among which the Germans are the most eminent. Yet despite this seemingly strong position, the future of the Germans cannot be said to be completely assured. Although the Empire faces enemies in the form of the Norse and the Hungarians, a greater enemy might arise from its neighbours, who may seek to supplant the role of the Germans as the leading Christian power in all Europe. Because of the suspicions the German princes harbour for one another, it can be said that the Germans are nevertheless a self-sufficient and proud people. German buildings are among some of the stoutest in Europe, and their armies are often very well led. Give sufficient time, and the Germans may even eclipse the canny Venetians at sea and the erstwhile French to the west. Duchy of Novgorod Living on the fringes of a harsh and forbidding land have made the Novgorodians a hardy people, possibly fit to rule all of Russia some day, but the divisiveness of Russian politics and the estrangement of the Russians from the rest of Europe may cause the army to suffer. And with great stature and prosperity, there are bound to be enemies. Given developments in Europe and relations with the neighbouring Kipchak, their numbers can only be expected to increase. Nevertheless, Novgorod, now the crown jewel throughout all the Russias, prosperous through trade and the protection of the tsar in Kiev, may yet expand if it can interdict any foe that marches from the east, south or west. The Russians do not reach the same levels of wealth as Byzantium or have the ingenuity of the Europeans or Saracens, but with their deep-rooted faith in God and His providence, Novgorod may survive the onslaught of the Kipchaks and whoever may come to prosper in the distant future. Abbasid Caliphate Ruling from the city of Baghdad in old Mesopotamia, the Abbasid caliphate is the newest of several successors to a great civilisation that once stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Caspian Sea, with a rich and vibrant cosmopolitan society. Yet, the size and diversity which has enriched Islam has also racked it with civil discord and intertribal violence, and the world of Islam is now divided into several smaller states at war with one another. A strong caliph will be needed to turn away the Faithful from the petty squabbles they are so accustomed to in order to unite the world as a single nation under the benevolent rule of Allah! France The kingdom of France owes its birth to the division of the Holy Roman Empire by the Treaty of Verdun into East Francia, West Francia and Lorraine. Although ideally all Christendom should form a single society of peace and harmony, time and geography may put paid to this vision. With control of some of Europe's finest fields and a position alienated from Germany by the Alps and the forests of Lorraine, there is no telling if the ambitions of this land's rulers would continue to coincide in perpetuity with those of the Pope in Rome, or the Emperor ensconced at his palace in Magdeburg. Tang Empire Heir to the oldest living civilisation in known history, the Chinese have enjoyed almost 300 years of prosperity and hegemony throughout North Asia under the Tang, a family of rulers believed to be Heaven's representative on earth. However, Heaven now seems to have other plans for the Tang, and Turkic nomads are set to carve apart China's northwestern frontiers, while religious extremists in the south preaching revolution, the resilience and skill of the Chinese people are about to be tested in one of the most trying times in all of China's history. Despite not being able to participate in the European military revolution of the late game, Chinese armies are known for one thing and that is the ability to levy en masse scores of warriors to fight in the name of the Son of Heaven. This consists of simple conscript warriors who are not as professional as their European counterparts, but in later ages they are accompanied by a variety of powerful and innovative crossbow and gunpowder units. On the seas, the Treasure Ships are massive monstrosities made almost of timber, sporting many more guns than most European war vessels, and with a special hidden ability. The Chinese too have a special unit - the Imperial Legate, a stealthy agent, capable of assassinations and sabotage. Wessex Born out of the union of the Saxons who invaded the Roman province of Britannia in the two centuries after the extinction of Roman rule, Wessex is one of the few petty kingdoms on the edge of Europe. Although its position on the edge of war-torn Europe and overlooking the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean may well make it a leading power in centuries to come, this small nation must now fight for its survival against three different factions eager to dominate the British Isles. As a reflection of the multicultural heritage of the English, the English of Wessex start off with a Scandinavian-styled Longship, and the German-styled feudal retinue swordsmen. In subsequent ages, these units are lost but replaced with the classic English knights-sergeants and archers. English archers are by far the best archers in the game - they may not have the devastating damage of the Chinese crossbow infantry, or the range of the Japanese onna-bugeisha, but instead are highly balanced, capabe of outranging normal crossbows with a fire rate as devastating as that of the Chinese crossbows. Those who use the English too will discover that due to a long tradition of sound legislation, English cities are far more cost-efficient to construct compared to other nations. Alba To the extreme north of the British Isles lies Alba: a Christian kingdom evolved from the Picts, a Celtic people which have lived there since the dawn of time. A largely windswept and barren land, Alba is a nation riven by conflict between different clans, yet even now change is fast approaching for the people of this land. Caught between the Norse from across the North Sea, and the Saxon people whose influence is steadily creeping north, things are bound to get pretty interesting for the people of this land, and the rivalries of the clans must be put aside if Alba is to survive as a nation in these coming years. Denmark In the north of Continental Europe lies Scandinavia: a land of ice, snow, and fjords, where fertile land is scarce. Yet, despite this the Norse are among some of Europe's most brilliant minds if not the holiest or most cultured, and their appetite for enterprise has founded successful Viking colonies throughout the British Isles, France and the Baltic. However, the Norse have never been a truly united people, and while their ancestors were the bane of the rest of Europe, this disunity could potentially spell extinction at the hands of their former victims, who are now increasingly more organised than ever before. It would take a strong leader to unify the Norse against this threat - and hopefully safeguard their future, once and for all. The prowess of the Norse as a warlike people are evident from the units they host, ranging from toughened Viking warriors on foot and on horseback with a knack for amphibious assaults on neighbours by the waterfront, and their longships. In succeeding ages, they will also have a variety of support units capable of shoring up Norse power on the field. Byzantines Although the city of Rome has been lost to barbarians, Rome herself still lives in the form of Byzantium, now at home upon the lands which first saw the rise of Western Civilisation and protecting the traditions and ways of an older world now submerged under a deluge of barbarian conquerors, protected by stout and formidable walls. Yet, this task is becoming ever harder to do: the number of enemies Byzantium faces increases with each passing decade, as each other attempts to outdo the other in securing the fabled riches of Constantinople, and Byzantium is now at a metaphysical crossroads just as much as it sits on a physical one: either she may choose to remain where she is and eventually wither away, or step out across the continents and restore the rule of Caesar to Europe. The Byzantine army is known for its proficiency on land and at sea, and sports powerful cataphract-type cavalry and a variety of good mid-level infantry. On the seas, they are much feared, with their cheirosiphon vessel, which is in fact a naphta-spewing ship capable of taking out a variety of targets with its flame attack. Byzantine fortresses and towers are also much feared for their reach, but once the late period is reached, all Byzantine has to stave off defeat would be a huge number of mercenaries whose performance against gunpowder weaponry - buildable by all factions - and the better-trained troops of Western Europe and the Turks must be questioned.